Marriott Withdraws FCC Petition for Hotel Wi-Fi Blocking

Marriott has officially withdrawn the petition to the Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) for guidance on whether it could limit its guests ability to connect to Wi-Fi networks. The hotel chain has decided to simply drop the whole practice completely.

Marriott had tried to defend the practice by citing the privacy and security concerns but more than half a million dollar fine has put an end to that practice quickly and completely.

"Marriott International has decided to withdraw as a party to the petition seeking direction from the FCC on legal Wi-Fi security measures. Our intent was to protect personal data in Wi-Fi hotspots for large conferences. We thought we were doing the right thing asking the FCC to provide guidance, but the FCC has indicated its opposition," Marriott said in a statement.

"As we have said, we will not block Wi-Fi signals at any hotel we manage for any reason. And, as of January 15, we provide free Wi-Fi to all members of our Marriott Rewards program who book directly with us. We're doing everything we can to promote our customers' connectivity using mobile and other devices, and we're working with the industry to find security solutions that do not involve blocking our guests' use of their Wi-Fi devices."

The initial petition by Marriott submitted to FCC was opposed by companies like Microsoft and Google, along with industry body Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association.